• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.77-93
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• 2013

Global warming accelerates both carbon (C) input through increased forest productivity and heterotrophic C emission in forest soils, and a future trend in soil C dynamics is uncertain. In this study, the Korean forest soil carbon model (KFSC model) was applied to 1,467,458 ha of Pinus densiflora forests in Korea to predict future C dynamics under RCP 8.5 climate change scenario (RCP scenario). Korea was divided into 16 administrative regions, and P. densiflora forests in each region were classified into six classes by their stand ages : 1 to 10 (I), 11 to 20 (II), 21 to 30 (III), 31 to 40 (IV), 41 to 50 (V), and 51 to 80-year-old (VI+). The forest of each stand age class in a region was treated as a simulation unit, then future net primary production (NPP), soil respiration (SR) and forest soil C stock of each simulation unit were predicted from the 2012 to 2100 under RCP scenario and constant temperature scenario (CT scenario). As a result, NPP decreased in the initial stage of simulation then increased while SR increased in the initial stage of simulation then decreased in both scenarios. The mean NPP and SR under RCP scenario was 20.2% and 20.0% higher than that under CT scenario, respectively. When the initial age class was I, IV, V or VI+, predicted soil C stock under CT scenario was higher than that under RCP scenario, however, the countertrend was observed when the initial age class was II or III. Also, forests having a lower site index showed a lower soil C stock. It suggested that the impact of temperature on NPP was higher when the forests grow faster. Soil C stock under RCP scenario decreased at the end of simulation, and it might be derived from exponentially increased SR under the higher temperature condition. Thus, the difference in soil C stock under two scenarios will be much larger in the further future.